Kindergarten Connections



Welcome to Kindergarten!Hulstrom K-8 SchoolAll Hulstrom Students are… Successful Students who Together with TeamworkAchieve Excellence, while beingRespectful, Responsible, Safe and Prepared.2019-2020Mrs. Kristen GreslSchool Phone: 720-972-5400Classroom phone: 720-972-8974Kristen.M.Gresl@School Start and End Times:*Please have your child to school at 7:35 every day.Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 7:35 (7:40 tardy bell)-2:50Wednesday (early release day) 7:35 (7:40 tardy bell)-1:20Welcome Kindergarten Parents!I would like to take this opportunity to let you know how much I am looking forward to spending the school year with your child and watching his/her individual growth. Your interest and support throughout the school year will be greatly appreciated. Some of my goals, as well as the program goals, are to keep you informed, provide a stimulating and inviting learning environment that meets the individual needs of the students, to model and teach self respect and respect for others, and to teach independence. To facilitate a successful school year, it is helpful for parents and students to be familiar with the classroom policies and procedures. Please let me know if you have any municationI believe communication between home and school is essential to a successful year. There are several ways I communicate with parents. These include the Daily Communication folder, Wednesday folder, and our class website. Phone calls or e-mails are also a means to contact me if you have questions or concerns. You may call me anytime throughout the day and leave a message. I will get back to you as soon as possible. If there is an emergency, call the main office at 720-972-5400 and they will contact me. Please check our class website at least once a week. You will miss out on important information and upcoming class/school activities if you do not check it. Daily Communication FoldersIn the Daily Communication Folder, your child will have a calendar filled with many of the month’s events. At the end of the day each child records their behavior by coloring where they were on the behavior chart that day. When a child has a spectacular day, he/she may move their clip up to superstar and choose a prize from the prize box. Please discuss with your child that not every child is going to be on superstar every day. Green behavior is great and is the expectation. HomeworkHomework is an important part of our school’s daily program and the home-school connection. Please help your child learn lifelong study skills by making homework a priority. Keep in mind that the directions are written for YOU. Read the directions out loud to your child, and as your child becomes a more proficient reader, have them read the directions to you. Your child will have homework four nights a week, with the exception that the only weekend homework will be long-term, on-going projects or make up work. Homework will come home on Monday (or the first school day of each week). The homework is due on Friday. If your child finishes their work early, it can be turned in early. I also expect students to read with an adult for at least 15 minutes each night and color on their reading log. When the log is complete, the child will earn a reward. Children can read library books, magazines, or books from home. Starting in September, there will also be weekly book reports that will need to be completed. These will come home on Thursday and will need to be completed by the following Wednesday. You can read the book that is sent home, or you can choose any other book that you have access to. You will need to complete the book report form that will be in the baggie with the book. The children will receive a reward after every fourth book report that is completed. These books do not have to be read by the child, they can be read to the child. The reasoning behind this is to work on comprehension skills. You may also use these books for the 15 minutes of reading each night if you so choose. There will also be a letter in the baggie explaining the assignment as well. You can choose to work on the book reports over the weekend, but it is not expected. You may also write down any weekend reading on the reading log. If a part of the homework needs to be fixed or corrected, I will put a “F&R” on the paper. This means “fix and return”. Please do not spell words for your child. Sounding out words is a crucial part in your child learning how to write. I want to see what sounds your child is hearing in the words they write. If you need to, you may write under your child’s writing. Please only do this if you think I will not be able to read his/her writing.Always have your child do the work. Please do not write for them! Create a homework time and place – away from TV and other distractions.Remind your child to write their name on every paper.Daily spelling practice is encouraged, and daily reading practice is required.Please practice the Dolche word lists as often as possible. As your child feels ready to read a list at school, send the book to school in your child’s homework folder. He/she will read the list of words and the cover will reflect what list and when they passed. What does quality work look like in kindergarten?1. Proper letter formation2. Pictures are drawn and colored nicely (writing only in pencil)3. Children are sounding out words and writing the sounds that he/she hears (parents are not spelling the words)4. All directions are followedWednesday FoldersEvery week, your child will be bringing home a Wednesday folder. Inside you will find some practice papers, graded assignments, notes, newsletters, and other class and/or school information. I ask that the folder be reviewed and returned on Thursday morning. This is an excellent opportunity to include any questions or comments you may have. Makeup WorkPlease call the school office at 720-972-5400 to request make-up work. Your request must be made before 9:00am and will not be ready to pick up in the front hallway (or classroom) until after 2:50pm. Homework will not be provided ahead of time. Students will have the day they return to get the assignments, and one day for each day missed to get the make up work completed. iPads at HulstromPlease make sure your child is bringing his/her iPad to school each day. He/she should also have either headphones or earbuds every day. Please make sure your child’s iPad is charged each night. We use iPads every day, throughout the day, in different subject areas. The students will store the iPads in their tubs when they are not being used. The kindergarten web site will specify when new apps should be loaded on your child’s iPad. AttendanceYour child’s regular and prompt attendance at school is crucial to his/her success. I can’t emphasize this point enough. Most kindergarten learning activities are group oriented and involve interaction with classmates and myself. Therefore, it is impossible to make up all work at home. Please view school as a priority and see to it that your child attends every day except in cases of illness and emergency.MessagesTo avoid disrupting the learning environment, please contact the Hulstrom office to relay messages to your student. Please do not walk down to the classroom to give your child a message or drop something off to them. Someone in the office will take care of dropping off items to your child. Messages must be called in before 2:20 (1:00 on Wednesday) to ensure your child will receive it before dismissal. DismissalOur top priority is to keep your children safe. Part of their safety is ensuring they go home with an approved person. Please be prepared to show your identification to staff members and substitutes to pick up your child. Please update the record in the office for carpools or send a note to school if someone else may be picking up your child. Students must be picked up at 2:50 (1:20 on Wednesday). If you are going to be late to pick up your child, please notify the office or call the classroom as soon as you can. Parent Volunteer OpportunitiesThere will be many opportunities throughout the year to help in our classroom even if you are not available on a weekly basis. I will need parents to join us on a variety of field trips throughout the year. Please do not expect to chaperone/attend all the field trips. Parents are a valued partner in the education process. Parents provide additional adult hands for projects, copying, filing, and creating classroom displays. This allows the teacher to spend more time interacting with the children. Hulstrom requires that all parents who would like to?volunteer in the classroom or go on fieldtrips complete four requirements:District Volunteer Application?Code of Conduct FormDriver's license scan (must be done every school year)?Volunteer tour/training?*The forms are available in the foyer above the PTA box and a sign up for the tour/training is in the main lobby on the bulletin board.? Birthdays and Holidays Your child may bring in treats to celebrate his/her special day or a holiday if you wish. They must be pre-packaged and cannot contain any nut products. Every year we have children in the class who are allergic to nuts or other items. Treats will be shared with the class at the end of the day.There are several events throughout the year that parents are invited to attend. Please make sure to check our class website often, as important events and upcoming school activities are posted and updated frequently. Snack (NO NUTS)/Water BottlesEach day we will have snack time. Please pack your child a snack each day. It should be one free of nut products and one that does not need to be refrigerated. Although we do not have any nut allergies in our room, there are some in the connecting kindergarten rooms. Also, please have your child bring a water bottle each day. I recommend putting your child’s water bottle in a side pouch of his/her backpack so that folders and books do not get wet. Backpack BearBackpack Bear is a stuffed animal that will come home with each child for a weekend visit. The bear will be wearing a backpack which contains a journal and will be sent home on Thursday’s. The bear and the journal are not due until the following Monday. Your child may draw pictures or paste photographs in the book. When your child brings back Backpack Bear, he/she will share what was written about their adventure. Book Orders Students have the opportunity to order books from Scholastic Books periodically throughout the year. I will send home the Scholastic order forms and then you will place your order online using our class code. This is an optional activity, but our class will earn points for free books when you place an order. If your child orders books, please make the check payable to the book club noted on the order form. Please do not send cash. Scholastic class code: NGJVBDistrict/School Dress CodePlease refer to the district or school handbook for the specific dress code requirements. Hats are not permitted in the building. Hulstrom requires that all students dress in a manner that denotes good taste and is not distractive. Gym shoes must have non-marking soles and must be worn to PE. Shorts must be worn under skirts. Shorts should be approximately mid-thigh length. Halter tops and/or spaghetti strapped tops may not be worn. Sleeveless tops must be worn at least 2 inches thick in width. Flip flops should not be worn to school.SpecialsHulstrom students are lucky to have several specials throughout their week. Your child will participate in music, art, physical education, and technology. We will visit the library as a class once a week starting in September. Our specials schedule will be on a rotation each week. I will make a note in the Daily Communication folder, so that you know what day each special will fall on. Tennis shoes on B days for PE are required. The specials rotation schedule can be found on the Hulstrom website.A Day – ArtB Day – PE C Day - Music Specials Schedule:11:20-12:20 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday8:55-9:55 Wednesday*On B days when we go to PE we will also have technology at 12:25-1:25. Wednesday technology time is 11:10-12:10.Classroom Rules/Positive Behavior System at Hulstrom (PBIS)Classroom rules are established to promote learning and develop a positive self-concept. Our school and classroom rules are:I will be respectful.I will be responsible.I will be prepared.I will be safe.PBIS Expectations if the Month:August/September RespectfulOctoberSafeNovember/DecemberResponsibleJanuaryPreparedFebruaryTeamworkMarchAchieve ExcellenceAprilResponsible/RespectfulMaySafeEach day your child will have several opportunities to earn Green Shining Stars for demonstrating above and beyond behavior. He/she will save the stars that they earn and keep track of how many they have. Students will turn in their stars each time they reach 25 and will be rewarded according to the Shining Star Point System.A child will be given a positive office referral for demonstrating consistent above and beyond behavior. Your child will be given a green star from an office administrator and you will receive a call from that administrator to recognize your child’s positive behavior.An ALLSTAR Excellence Award acknowledges classes where EVERY student is displaying exceptional behavior by giving specific positive feedback and indicating it on the ALLSTAR. A class earning 25 GOLD ALLSTARS will be recognized in morning announcements and earn a class reward. Each day, the children start out on the green smile card on our “Behavior Chart”. If a student is not acting appropriately or hinders someone else’s learning, they will be asked to move his/her clip. Yellow is a warning to “think about making better choices”. If a child moves their card to red, he/she will fill out a Think Sheet. A child who completes 3 Think Sheets in one day or 5 in a week will be referred to an administrator. You will receive a copy of a misconduct report if your child is referred to the office. The children will also be able to move their clip to be an “all star” of the day. This is for exemplary behavior!The children always have the opportunity to move back to green from yellow, or red. I want the students to know that they can turn around their behavior and be rewarded for making better choices.GradesGraded work will be sent home in your child’s Wednesday folder and occasionally in the Daily Communication folder. Hulstrom grades based on a Standards Based Grading System. Please take a moment to look over the work before signing the weekly update. Report cards are sent home with the kindergarten students twice during the year. Regularly scheduled conferences will be held in the fall and spring. Standards Based Grading System:4-Exceeds Standards“I went above and beyond the standard.”3-Proficient“I met the standard.”2-Approaching Standard“I have more work to do to meet the standard.”1-Limited Progress“I need to work with my teacher/parent to meet this standard.”Kindergarten Content AreasGuided ReadingGuided reading involves a small group of students meeting with me for direct reading and phonics instruction. The students will be grouped according to their needs. We will focus on strategies, word work, comprehension, letter and word recognition, phonics, and reading to gather information. Each group is made up of children who are at similar stages in their reading development. These groups may change periodically. We will be using leveled stories along with other books during this time. Shared ReadingStudents learn many of their reading, decoding, comprehension, and fluency skills during this whole group format. This will be done through books and poems.Handwriting InstructionWe will be using the Zaner Bloser handwriting series. There are practice sheets to go along with this series that will either be completed in class or sent home. Please note that you may always practice handwriting at home and should concentrate on handwriting on all homework assignments. Please use the handwriting letter guide while completing homework.Independent ReadingDuring independent reading, the students learn to choose their own books and read independently. This time allows the children to pick books that they will enjoy, and practice skills learned during guided reading and whole group reading. It is also a time to foster an enjoyment for reading in each child. We will discuss how to choose “just right books”. We will use I-Pads for independent reading also.Independent WritingEach child will have a writing journal that they will write in as well as a writing folder to keep writing in that they are working on. I will circulate during this time and work individually with children on sounding out words, handwriting, spacing, punctuation, and generating ideas. Read AloudRead aloud is a time when I read a book aloud to the children that they would be unable to read themselves. This helps children hear what fluent reading with expression sounds like. Often, we will respond and discuss the books. We will also talk about aspects of the book such as the author, illustrator, title, publisher, punctuation marks, vocabulary, emotions, setting, characters, and the order that the events occurred in. I also introduce students to several different genres during this time. We will work on close reading and work on comprehension skills.CentersStudents have the opportunity to enrich their skills in reading, writing, math, spelling, and science through learning centers. It consists of short, well-planned activities to help student growth in each of these areas independently and while working with others. Some of the other centers include art, puzzles, blocks, and word building. The students will rotate each day to a different center. They will also use I-Pads during this time.SpellingWe will be using the Words Their Way Spelling program to teach necessary spelling skills. We will have a spelling list every Monday and the test will be given on Friday. I will keep you posted as to when we will be starting this. It depends greatly on when we get through our review of one letter a day. It would be greatly appreciated if the high frequency words are continually practiced at home.MathWe will be using the Everyday Math program. We will accelerate the program for students who are ready to work at a quicker pace. We will also pretest the students at the beginning of each unit and make groups according to the needs of the children based on their prior knowledge and skills for the upcoming unit. Your child may go to one of the other two kindergarten teachers during the designated Math time.Science and Social StudiesSome of the science units your child will be learning about include Sorting Organisms and Objects, Pushes and Pulls and The Sun’s Heat and Light. We will be learning about how to do a science investigation and how to make observations. In social studies, we will explore Good Citizens, Languages of the Past, Economic choices and People Around the World. ................
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